[Plugin] SectionCutFace
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Virtually all renderers don't render SketchUp's section cuts [at least without some forethought and jiggery-pokery], but they should always render the SectionCutFace group's faces...
What is your renderer ?I can't see all of the details in your composite-image.
However, it seems that the SketchUp model's SectionCutFace is working fine.
It's just the rendered image that looks screwed ?
A 'white' section...Can you post an image of the model - but ensure it's View > Monochrome mode and that your current Style has back-faces set to a distinctive color - like blue...
It should not show 'blue' - the visible faces should be the default front-face color [off-white], i.e. the one used by SectionCutFace - e.g. 'Black' when displayed with its material ??You could also attach a simple SKP for us to look at too...
[even better]... -
@tig said:
Virtually all renderers don't render SketchUp's section cuts [at least without some forethought and jiggery-pokery], but they should always render the SectionCutFace group's faces...
What is your renderer ?I can't see all of the details in your composite-image.
However, it seems that the SketchUp model's SectionCutFace is working fine.
It's just the rendered image that looks screwed ?
A 'white' section...Can you post an image of the model - but ensure it's View > Monochrome mode and that your current Style has back-faces set to a distinctive color - like blue...
It should not show 'blue' - the visible faces should be the default front-face color [off-white], i.e. the one used by SectionCutFace - e.g. 'Black' when displayed with its material ??You could also attach a simple SKP for us to look at too...
[even better]...Sure thing! It's been driving me nuts. I use Vray. I decided to try a test run because it was not working on an actual model.
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SCF cuts and faces fine.
But, there's a but, a big but... there are very few renderers which accept a section-cut from SketchUp and then render it.
Instead the section-cut is ignored and the original uncut form is rendered.
In your case the SCF's section-cut-face-group is slightly within that form so you will no longer see it when it's renderer.I wrote an add-on for Podium which allows that renderer to render section-cuts and their faces.
It makes a copy of the model, cuts the model at the section-plane and deletes the unseen part, it then adds the section-cut-face.
You can then render that to show a true section-cut.
But I don't think there's anything similar for Vray.It can be done manually...
Can copy the model, then use Zorro2 [in the PluginStore] to cut that copy at the chosen section-plane and then use SCF to add the 'solid' face you desire.
Then render it...Revert to the original model to continue working because the copy will now only have the entities 'behind' the section-plane - the reset are deleted.
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Thank you TIG, I'll give it a try.
I've never use zorro but as long as it works I'll adjust
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Does anyone have any idea why section cutface works so badly on my model. I have imported it into a designated skp file especially for taking sections to export to layout and many of the walls of the house are not being recognised leaving solid black faces throughout the rooms. Is it because the different elements (walls, floors etc) are grouped? If so is there a way around this without exploding the model.
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I moved this post into this plugin's main thread, where it might get noticed.
SCF cannot take into account every users foibles.
It tries to determine what cut outlines are solid, and which are voids.
It doesn't always succeed.
If you are having problems I suggest you set it to keep all edges - even unfaced ones - all edges to be visible, and unlocked.
Then you can reform missing faces etc as needed by editing the SCF group.I doubt that the $$ Skalp can consistently produce filled in cross-sections - as there are so many variables resulting from overlapping forms etc as to render it all be impossible...
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From my experience with SectionCutFace, it only fails when I fail.
It's way better at generating faces with closed loops than Sketchup native face generation algorithm.
However, it requires perfect models to work flawlessly (if that's the case even skalp would work). For instance, if two faces of an apparent volume aren't touching each other it won't generate the Section Cut Face.
The problem is that I can't model flawlessly. It's no good, it's basically impossible to do it with my workflow. So I carry another tool when working with Section Cut Face: edgetools2, from Thomthom.
You have to follow Tig's settings suggestions and some more (I edited the rb file Tig created specifically to make changes to the default settings):
- Color default: allows you to see the face and paint it at will by painting the group
- Keep all edges: allows for objects that don't have thickness to generate a section cut line instead of a face
- Hide edges: allows you to hide the edges that are generated between the intersection of the model with the section cut face. (Important: These should be the edges that make the SectionCutFace perimeter so these are certainly the cause for the face generation to fail).
- Lock: This locks the Section Cut Face group so you can't manually edit it. You should unlock it.
- Auto-Update: If a section moves this regenerates the section. I NEVER use auto-update as I use Section Cut Faces to draw and hatch details. I cannot risk loosing them. I don't mind using an update on demand though, for when I'm still not at detail stage.
- **Layer:**Is the Section Cut Face group´s layer. Fundamental to organize your scenes.
- Naming: This is if you want to follow a naming convention.
- Scene Visibility: Helps you control in which scenes Section Cut Face's Layer is visible.
The most important is that you are able to edit the group (unlock it) and see the edges (don't hide them)
If your section cut face fails to generate the correct face you edit the group, use the inspect tool from Edgetools2 and it will display automatically gaps in the perimeter and loose edges that interfere with face generation.
If these happen your model is poorly modeled (no worries, as I said it happens to me everytime). You just have to either fix the model, which can be tiresome, or simply, fix the perimeter edges, sometimes automatically through the use of Edgetools 2.
Then you can generate the Section Cut Face, either through tracing an edge along the perimeter, or using a face generation plugin.
The only situation where Section Cut Face always misses consistently is that it generates a line on the hole of a face if that hole is created by a holecutting component. It's a shame, but understandable as, by what Tig explained, that hole is just a display effect, not a true geometric hole.
It would be cool if this could be perfect though. But as it is, Section Cut Face is THE plugin that made me change from CAD to Sketchup. It's probably the most important plugin I have in my toolset.
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It is highly anticipated that you can add a selection area to modify the profile in the next release.
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Hi TIG,
How may I get SectionCutFace for SU Pro 2013? I try versions 6.1 and 6.2 getting error "can't convert nil into String". I try version 2.3 failing all my other installed plugins.
Thank you very much.
dontransanjose@yahoo.com. -
Can you copy paste the full error message, so I can see the line-numbers etc...
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Hi TIG, thanks for this great tool which I use quite often.
I guess we all spend most of our time changing/altering.
Unfortunately the setting"automatic update" slows my System down tremendously.
Would it be possible to update the section cut on demand ?
That would be really helpful.
Thanks for looking into it
Uli -
There are three 'Auto-Update' drop-down options in the dialog which opens after you choose 'Add' SCF.
The default option 'No' initially faces the section-cut. and after that no updating will occur - best if you intend to manually edit it later.
The 'On Demand' option updates the section-cut faces, if you use the 'Remake...' context-menu item later - this effectively redraws it afresh, so any manual changes you might have made to it will be lost.
The 'Yes' option is only recommended on small models, because it constantly Auto-updates the section-cut faces whenever the model changes, it will slow you down considerably.
If you have made an Auto-updating section-cut face, and now you want to downgrade it to a on-demand or unchanging version, then you just need to use the context-menu again to 'Add' a new SCF to that section-plane, and choose an alternative option in the dialog: if you choose 'On Demand', then when you select that section-plane later on the 'Remake...' context-menu item will become available to update it then...
Each section-plane can only have one associated SCF at any one time, so replacing one 'type' with another, by re-adding and choosing any desired options or other settings is relatively straightforward...
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Hi TIG,
thanks for your great help.
This will make thinks a whole lot easier.
I Understand that manual changes are lost - it happens quite often that my model isn't quiet the way it should be, and so I have to fix some geometry.
On the other hand, it would be nice, if changes of materials/colors could stay as they are.
Impossible ?
Thanks for looking into it.
Uli -
Unfortunately until 'you' invent a way of determining what material applies to what faces, it becomes untenable.
There might be fewer or more faces after the section is updated, so what material do they get etc etc...There are paid [quite inexpensive] Extensions - of them all, I would recommend Skalp.
It will do far more - but then even that might not achieve what you hope for, every time ! -
Doors and windows.
How do you construct a door and window in walls and get Section Cut face to leave the inside of the room empty. If I apply a face-cutting door component to the outer skin and leave the inner skin, the room is clear of the section cut face, but the section of the door looks wrong, with the inner wall skin. I've tried making an inner wall jamb cutting element. This looks correct in the model but Add Section Cut face fills the room.
I have applied a cutting element to both faces which represents the skins of the door element.-- a cutting component the inside skin of the door and frame, and another for the outside skin, but this is a very complicated procedure, just to get this to work (Obviating the usefulness of the feature)
Is it a matter of exact detail of the door profile or component construction, or a straight forward procedure to make it work.?
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Doors and windows.
How do you construct a door and window in walls and get Section Cut face to leave the inside of the room empty. If I apply a face-cutting door component to the outer skin and leave the inner skin, the room is clear of the section cut face, but the section of the door looks wrong, with the inner wall skin. I've tried making an inner wall jamb cutting element. This looks correct in the model but Add Section Cut face fills the room.
Is it a matter of exact detail of the door profile or component construction, or a straight forward procedure to make it work.?
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Hi!
i am using sketchup pro 2017 and i want to TIG sectioncutface and cutnfill
are these plugins are available?
Thanks -
@mughal said:
Hi!
i am using sketchup pro 2017 and i want to TIG sectioncutface and cutnfill
are these plugins are available?
ThanksLook in the PluginStore available at the top of this page.
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Hi!
Thanks -
bmike WROTE:
OK - This appears to be the case - if any change is made to the style of the current scene (like turn section planes on or off) - if you don't refresh the style when SectionCutFace tries to make a new scene it crashes.
THANKS Bmike, that fixed my annoying problem this morning! I also found that you can make or remake section cut face in the outliner. That avoid re-updating your scenes.
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